African-Style Oxtail Stew

"Oxtail is my favorite meal and I serve this recipe to all my friends and use it for my frozen food business. Everyone loves it. I call it God's food as it is so delicious! This meal is very rich, but oh so good! Oxtail is easily available here in Africa but I have heard it can be obtained in the US."

Directions

Place celery, garlic, tomato paste, bouillon cubes, and water into a large Dutch oven; stir until the tomato paste has dissolved. Add peppercorns and bay leaves, place over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oxtail and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove oxtail from hot oil and place into Dutch oven. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the skillet, reduce heat to medium, and cook the onion until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes; add to oxtail.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper, recover, and continue to cook until the oxtail is tender, but not falling off of the bone, about 30 minutes.

Remove oxtail pieces and place into a serving dish. Add kidney beans to Dutch oven and return to a simmer. Thicken with cornstarch dissolved in water, simmer for 1 minute until thickened and clear. Pour sauce over the oxtail.

Footnotes

Note

Oxtail should be ready when a knife slices easily through the meat. It should not be overcooked otherwise it will fall off the bones and go stringy - and if not cooked long enough it will not come off the bones easily enough. I normally find 3 hours cooking just perfect.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jan 23, 2008

This was the most delicious oxtail stew ever. I changed the recipe a little by eliminating the cornstarch and adding some tiny pasta like pastina when I added the kidney beans. This thickened the stew and made for a complete 1 pan dish!!!
Thanks Gail!!!

My Gran used to make oxtail stew and it was a real comfort food! Nothing has changed here except this recipe is even better! I didn't change a thing - it was so easy! The servings were generous and it fed two huge teenage boys and my husband and myself - served with mashed potatoes and beans over which the gravy went. It is very filling and satisfying. I cooked it in the crockpot instead of the dutch oven and it took longer of course but the recipe was easy to adapt. Thank you for a really hearty, yummy winter warmer, this is so easy and definitely worth keeping!

I thought this was very good hearty meal. The modifications I made were:I did not use celery, used 6 cups of water, and added 1/4 cup of barley. I will use this recipe again, especially good on a cold winter day.

Excellent recipe. My husband and nephew both do not like oxtail but this recipe had them getting up for seconds. I skipped a can of Heinz baked baked beans instead of the kidney beans and did not need to use the cornstarch as the gravy was just perfect. I cooked it in the slow cooker for about 5.5 hours on high heat. Next time I think I will cook it for just 4 hours as some of the smaller pieces fell off the bone. The bigger pieces were fine though....Thanks for sharing....I served this with ugali/sadza/nishima (depending on which part of Africa you are familiar with) and braised cabbage for a truly authentic African meal.

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.